Country festival begins 3-day run

Kellie Pickler highlights lineup on first day of Country Life Music Festival

Danielle Hatch of the Journal Star

PEORIA — Country Life Music Festival kicked off its weekend run at Ravina on the Lakes on Friday as thousands streamed into the venue.

Though traffic in the afternoon and early evening hours on Charter Oak Road was fairly light, the parking lots filled up steadily and the party inside was lively.

Revelers tossed beach balls, sprayed water guns and danced along to acts such as Kellie Pickler, Josh Thompson and the Chris Weaver Band. Some brought lawn chairs and blankets to spread out on the 30 acres of plush grass that previously had been a soybean field.

“It’s bigger here than I thought; we come here for weddings and we were confused about how they’d fit all these people in here,” said Chris Walczak of Peoria, who enjoyed the show while wearing a cardboard hat made out of a Busch Light 12-pack container.

Pickler, an “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars” alum, riled up the crowd with her performance of “Tough,” and Josh Thompson tore through hits such as the twangy and dance-worthy “Hillbilly Limo” and the rambling “Cold Beer With Your Name on It.”

Speaking of beer, country fans lined up to buy $5 cans of it. They also could spend their money on indulgences such as pulled pork and fried tacos.

Promoter Brad Maloney of Blu Entertainment said he sold 5,000 tickets for Friday’s show. That number doesn’t include any day-of tickets, which he said hadn’t yet been counted. About 6,000 people are expected on Saturday, and 5,000 on Sunday.

“It’s the first day of a first-year festival, and we’re working out some bugs. We ask everybody to be patient with us,” Maloney said, noting that most things were going as planned aside from a few parking issues and some volunteers not showing up for their shifts.

Festival attendees didn’t seem to notice.

“This is very cool to have around here, so close to home,” said Taylor Williams, 20, of Galva, who carried with her an autographed photo of Troy and Jacob Landry of the History Channel’s “Swamp People.” The father-son pair signed autographs in exchange for donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, as did many of the musical acts.

Carolyn Gass, who lives in the WeaverRidge subdivision, said she was happy to have the event nearby.

“It was amazing to drive by here and see this going up,” she said. “I think people are glad to see something new in town.”

The event continues Saturday and Sunday. For more information, visit Countrylifemusicfestival.com.

Country Life Music Festival

When: Saturday and Sunday

Where: Ravina on the Lakes, 5326 W. Charter Oak Road, Peoria

Cost: Single-day passes range from $69 general admission to $189 for VIP.